Elijah's Sadness
by RachysAddictionToWords
Summary: AU One-shot. What happens when Elijah tries to save his siblings from his one group of enemies in life. But his protection comes at a cost. Does it turn out too late? Set around late 1800's. Rated T to be sure. Please R&R!


Disclaimer : No copyright infringement intended. I do not own anything but my interpretation.

Elijah's Sadness

Elijah stepped cautiously down from his horses stirrups, the only light shining down from the full moon. He looked around him and lead his horse over to the small stream in the large forest. As his horse drank loudly in the silence of the cold night, he looked at the derelict building, his mind flashing back to his childhood.

Once, this old, dirty, broken building had been his family home. His parents, his brothers and he lived their happily. He hadn't seen the large, palace looking home since they moved away 25 years ago, back in 1864. Back then it had been white, with large columns standing tall above his head. The window framing's were beautifully detailed and the red roses, lining the window sills, stood out and danced in the sun. He hadn't known it would be their last summer there. They were moving, far away. His father had been a very bad man and had fallen into a dangerous line of work. To save his family, they had to go into hiding.

He looked around and remembered the many times he and his brothers had played hide and seek around the dark, ferny forest. For Elijah, it had always held such mystery. Occasionally, on warm summer evenings, he would find a wide tree to hide behind and write in stories. He knew if anyone found him writing or even knew that he did such a thing, that they would laugh in his face; he was the eldest after all.

Now he was back in front of his home. Taking responsibility for his father's wrongdoings. He had always felt responsible for his family, and knew he had to save them.

Feeling a sudden surge of anger, he rushed to the door. He smote on the door louder than ever.

"Is there anybody there?" Elijah yelled. A bird flew off from the roof, obviously scared by the loud intrusion. He hit the door harder a second time, "Is there anybody there?" he said.

But no one answered to his bellowing voice. No one even appeared to be there to listen. The house stood empty in the lonely night. He was confused. He knew something wasn't right. He had the correct house, date, time. yet no one was there. This seemed to be his only chance at saving them; he had been abandoned by the only people that could help with his quest.

But the house wasn't empty.

A small group of ghosts circled around the blood-covered bodies that had fallen victim to a dark past. Each one of the 4 men had the same facial features as the one man left awake outside.

They had each received a note, telling them a date and time. Each note lead them to their own favourite childhood place, each one of them being lead to their old home. But fate took a horrid turn when they arrived and saw who was waiting. At that moment, they knew what was about to happen and prayed that Elijah would be left unharmed.

Elijah was getting impatient. He had no idea what was going to happen to his family if he left when they saw he was not there. Elijah could only fear the worst. Then he had an idea.

He slammed into the two wooden doors, smashing the already cracked glass in the process. He tried to unlock the door but it was sealed, that's when he knew that the phantoms had tricked him. He knew why he was there; but why wasn't he dead yet? That's one question that struck him instantly. He always knew what his fate would be if he ever went back to the house, but he here was, still breathing.

He tried and tried to get the door to open, but each time he tried he just couldn't. It was no use, the door had been sealed; no one would ever get through a seal like theirs, no matter how hard they tried.

"Tell them I came, and no one answered. That I kept my word," he said, his voice once again slicing through the gloomy night. Elijah had always been the most loyal member of his family. He had never broken a promise, never lied and never stolen. It was like it was physically impossible to do something that would hurt another person. He often wondered if his brothers had started to act more trustworthy. He doubted it but there was always glimmers of hope in some of their actions, even Niklaus'.

Elijah turned around and walked back to his horse, his heart aching as he had no way to know if his remaining family was safe. He untied his horse and climbed up, the stirrups hitting the metal on his shoes, making a quiet song in the quiet of the moonlight. Elijah knew he would be back tomorrow, and however long it took for them to listen. He would negotiate a deal. He had to get his brothers back.

The next day, early in the warm morning, Elijah arrived back his old home. He had no idea what would happen to him today. But when knocking on the door, he saw the glass had been repaired. Hopefully, they were still here. He knocked on the door again and yelled loudly. Still no answer. Elijah knew it was no use to even try; he ran back and slammed into the doors.

They opened.

Elijah screamed his brothers' names, the sound only echoing. He ran upstairs, checking the multiple rooms but no one was inside. Running back downstairs and past the kitchen, he saw that his father's office door was open. He couldn't remember ever being allowed to enter. At least until he was 18 and took over the business. That's one sin he never wished upon anyone, however.

He stepped inside, a bad feeling sweeping through him. As he walked further into the room, he saw a red spot on the ground, followed by a puddle of crimson liquid. Then he saw his brothers' bodies. He tried to run over but he couldn't. He wanted to look away but he couldn't. All he could do was stand and watch. He had no idea how long he stood there for. When he could finally move, he run to his family, crouching down. He cried. He screamed. There was nothing he could do, he was helpless.

One by one, he laid their bodies outside in a deep hole he had dug. He covered their lifeless bodies and laid a flower for each of them. Then he turned and left, just like he had done the night before, this time leaving his family laying in the silence of the moonlight.

A/N: First one-shot/story published on this account. Hope you enjoyed. This was inspired by a poem by Walter de la Mare called The Listeners.


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